The Truth Within the Lies
by Serenity I. Noir
Summary: With only a few different choices made, the course of our beloved Harry Potter changes for the better, but for whom? Reality is harsher than the fantasy of our dreams, the truth is ever harsher still. Watch as the new path is forged. STORY COMPLETELY REWRITTEN! ALL CHAPTERS CONTAIN NEW CONTENT!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everybody! I know what you're all going to say: where the *bleep* have you been? Well long story short, I moved. Not once, like normal people, but twice. And recently, I just got a new job. Needless to say it's been crazy, but here I am now, with the whole story re-written.**

**Disclaimer: only in my dreams do I own anything related to Harry Potter..**

**Warnings for the story: death, torture, child abuse, SLASH, and other things.**

**Warnings for this chapter: death and insanity**

"_spells_"

"regular speech"

*** CHAPTER ONE ***

"_Avada Kedavra_.." a voice murmured silkily.

A loud thump followed the voice, echoing through the house. On the second floor in a nursery, a young mother with beautiful burgundy hair let tears fill her luminous green eyes. She knew her brave husband had fallen to the madman now walking up the stairs. He had come for her son, her precious little Harry. As she locked and warded the door as heavily as she knew how, she was internally cursing a man named Albus Dumbledor.

Her old headmaster had told James and her to take Harry into hiding no more than a year ago to this day, giving no more details than telling them of a prophecy and they were in grave danger. Against her better judgment, James had listened to Albus and they moved from the neigh impenetrable Potter Manor, to a little cottage in Godric's Hallow. The sound of deranged laughter reached her ears through the door seconds before it was blown off its hinges. Lily Potter stood bravely between the Dark Lord and her only son's crib, a willing sacrifice.

"I don't know why you seem to think my son has something to do with your and Albus' war, but please spare my son! He's innocent! Please!" tears gathered in her eyes but she wouldn't let them fall, instead pulling forth all her Gryffindor bravery and facing certain death head-on.

Once again, a soft but insane laugh met her ears, as did a surprising sight meet her eyes. She had never seen the Dark Lord with her own eyes, but she had heard of his hideous looks and eye color of the flames of hell. Standing before her though, was a man, the most handsome man she'd ever seen.

The dark magic rolling off him in waves did nothing but add a dangerous and mysterious aura to him, drawing his victims in too deep to notice their own death until its too late. If it were any other situation, she would've been blushing, as it was she was having trouble reconciling the horror stories she's heard with this devilish angel standing in front of her. With one black manicured eyebrow risen and a smirk curving his sinful mouth, it was obvious he had known what she was thinking and this made her blush. Despite the circumstances, Lord Voldemort let loose a soft and genuine chuckle.

"Stand aside, you silly girl. You need not die. Only the boy must." His deep baritone filled the nursery as he held his wand at chest level towards the young woman.

Lily shook her head, words stuck in her throat as her heart raced. The Dark Lord actually let out a small sigh in exasperation.

"You can have more children. You need not die for a boy who is marked for death anyway. Stand aside and I shall spare you. I am a merciful Lord, his death will be quick and painless."

The woman actually took a step forward and shouted with all her force,

"NO! I WILL NOT!"

"So be it."

And with those words and two others, a green light filled the room and Lily fell to the floor. The Dark Lord stepped over her body with nary a glance to the empty shell of a woman on the floor. Locking crimson eyes with killing curse green ones, Lord Voldemort was stunned. The babe was as silent as the house, eyeing him with unveiled curiosity.

A toothless smile and a gurgle issued from the messy haired boy and a strange sensation fills the man. Thrown off and wary, the Dark Lord leveled his wand at the child's face and uttered the two words that sealed his and the little boy's lives.

"_Avada Kedavra_."

The wizard watched as the curse was flung out towards the babe and seemed to bounce off an invisible barrier. With wide eyes he beheld his own curse come back upon him too quick to dodge. A scream of anger and a cry of misery came from the only two souls in the house. Pain consumes both the younger and older wizards, two souls rip and tear, the agony seems endless. The Dark Lord is thrown from his body and both struggle to merge a foreign piece of soul with their own. And with that, the fate of the wizarding world and destiny itself changed.

A prophecy was broken. A new path has been forged.

* * *

"PETER! YOU TRAITOR! HOW COULD YOU? HOW COULD YOU BETRAY LILY AND JAMES; THEY WERE YOUR FRIENDS! WE WERE FRIENDS!" Sirius Black bellowed in the middle of muggle London. The street was full of people, staring at the ragged man yelling at another man he had cornered between two buildings.

"S-S-S-Sirius! I was tr-tricked! He's so powerful! You do-d-d-don't know wh-what it's like!" Peter stuttered, wringing his hands in fear, his eyes darting around looking for help or an escape.

"Yes, Peter, I do know what its like! I'm a Black, for crying out loud! I was raised to be Dark! Or did what little brains you have leek out while you were groveling in the dirt for your _master_?" Sirius spat the last word and raised his wand a little higher, gripped it tighter. "Because of you, our friends are dead! Because of you, Dumbledore didn't let me take Harry!"

"He would've killed me Sirius! What would you have had me do?" Peter yelled, desperately.

"You should've DIED! DIED instead of betray your friends, like they would have for you!" Sirius had tears in his eyes as he screamed this; he prepared to throw the darkest blasting curse he could at Peter.

But before Sirius could utter a single word, the whole street was blown apart and in the ensuing chaos, a lone rat escaped into the sewer unnoticed. Sirius lay on his back and let the tears and laughter flow from him. Screams rose in volume, until the cacophony jolted the black haired man from his hysteria. What he did was little better; he laughed harder.

Maniacal laughter spilled from his broken soul until the aurors showed up and began obliviating the muggles. This just made Sirius laugh harder, he knew what things looked like, he knew he was going to get in trouble. But he knew Dumbledore would get him out, he was innocent after all. He let the aurors lead him away, to Azkaban, still cackling.

It took 3 days for the laughter to stop, 2 more days for apprehension and anxiety to set in and 2 weeks for him to give up hope. He knew that for whatever reason Dumbledore wasn't coming to set him free. By that time, the screams had started.

Meanwhile, in number 4 Privet Drive Little Whinging Surrey, a little baby with a lightning bolt scar and eyes that were too aware for his age was being poked and prodded. Our little Harry had been dropped off at his muggle relative's doorstep in the middle of the night on November 1st like an unwanted burden.

For many years things went like this; a lonely haunted man in a dank cell with dreams as dark and blank as his stare, and the young Harry Potter being neglected and treated in a way no child should be.

* * *

**A/N: Not too different, just a few words and things changed around. As the chapters progress, the more changes you'll see. Thanks for reading! **

**S.I.N.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Another rewritten chapter... not too many differences but still.**

**Disclaimer: SEE CHAPTER ONE**

**Warnings for this chapter: child abuse**

*** CHAPTER TWO ***

Five years later, things change for little six year old Harry, thankfully for the better. Harry is asleep in the cupboard under the stairs, his room for as long as he can remember. It early morning on February 14th: a day supposedly full of love and happiness. For Harry, he's never know love or hugs, he supposed he had before when he was one and still with his parents. But that was so long ago and he was so little he no longer remembers.

All he's ever known has been the sting of a belt across his back for punishment, a slap to the face for his questions. A punch to the gut from his cousin for 'breathing too loud', and the most recent being the bone deep ache of too many heavy chores and hunger. For as long as he can remember, he has been learning to cook, doing dishes, dusting, vacuuming, and weeding the garden. This morning is no different, as Harry's jolted from his sleep by his aunt's shrill voice and rapping knuckles on the cupboard door.

"Freak! Get up and make us breakfast! Hurry up and don't let it burn!" she unlocked it so he could scurry into the kitchen after he dressed in his oversized hand-me-downs. But he wasn't quick enough; his uncle had come down the stairs and threw the door open. He grabbed the little black haired boy by his neck and tossed him bodily into the kitchen and laughing when he hit the stove face first.

"Bacon, eggs, sausage, toast, and hot cakes, boy. You burn it and I'll burn you! Got it, worthless freak?" his uncle growled from the doorway.

Picking himself up off the floor, slightly dizzy, he wondered how anyone could be so nasty this early and replied,

"Yes… uncle."

He hated that they forced him to cook, and clean, and do every chore in and around the house. Except for the ones out front, no one was to know that he did the entire house upkeep and chores. To this day no one knew who did those things except the crazy cat lady down the street, Mrs. Figg. He hated the cat lady, as he called her. He hated his 'family' and he hated being called a freak. One day, he vowed to himself, one day he would get revenge on these pathetic people whom dared to call themselves his family. Black thoughts festered in his mind, turning his soul darker than any other the world had seen in many years. Deep down inside, something told him he wasn't a freak and that he was special. He listened to that something and had started harboring an unhealthy amount of hate for his relatives. Every smack, every beating, every slur and chore pushed him that much closer to the edge.

Already, he knew the harsh truths of life. People hated and feared things they didn't understand. They tended to try to destroy those things. Most of the time, those things struck back and resisted the destruction, which just caused even more chaos. Harry was one of those things his "family" didn't understand, and they treated him in a way no child, nor person, should ever have to experience. And he knew one day, he would strike back with a vengeance: a vengeance strong enough to leave the world quaking. Granted, he was only six and he didn't know much, but what he did he taught himself. While cooking their breakfast for this morning, he reminisced on the miracle that had happened when he was four.

His cousin had started pre-school, aunt Petunia had bought him ABC books and number books. But his cousin, already spoiled rotten and a bully, had demanded coloring books instead, claiming he already knew his numbers and letters. The books laid forgotten in the Dursley's second bedroom for Harry to find while he was cleaning. He had stolen them and no one had been the wiser. Locked in his cupboard for hours on end, he had held the books tightly to his chest, crying. He was unable to understand what the books were trying to teach him.

He fell asleep clutching them, and when he woke, it was a miracle! Like magic! He had known all the letters and numbers! He could read! With a smile, Harry read every book he could in the house. They were boring, to say the least and it took him lots of practice. But eventually, he could read and understand books for a fast pace at the age of five.

Dudley had begged for a library card and Harry had to tag along because no one could watch him. He had asked aunt petunia if he could have a library card too and he had been smacked around for a good ten minutes until he agreed not to ask her for anything else, every again. Because freaks didn't deserve to have library cards because they weren't normal, like everyone else. They weren't good enough.

When they got there, the librarian had seen Harry's longing looks towards the books and gave him a library card that would be good for at least seven years. His aunt was furious when they got home, but there was nothing she could do if she didn't want to look like a bad person.

That was the day he really developed hate for his relatives. They had the nerve to act like saints in front of everyone else, and treat him like the dirt on the bottom of their shoes! They had the nerve to beat him, starve and mistreat him, and now they were trying to make him an idiot. They didn't want him to learn! He had shown them, in the last year he had devoured all he could in the public library. He had basic knowledge in every subject there were. The librarians called him a genius. He knew he wasn't; he was just driven.

Although there were times when he would be in pain or very upset and weird things would happen. Once, his hair had grown back after his aunt had shaved him nearly bald and another time one of his aunt's tea time gossip mongers' hair turned blue as she insulted the garden out back. And another time one of aunt Marge's bulldog's was chasing him and he had leapt for the tree but ended up at the very top instead of the lower branch he was aiming for. Every time one of those things happened he would be punished severely and locked in his cupboard for days on end.

He found if he could concentrate hard enough, he could make things move without touching them. Once, after being beaten up by Dudley and his friends, he had made Dudley fall down the stairs. He knew he was special, after all. He knew this was why his 'family' called him a freak and were afraid. But they had started hurting him first. All he did in retaliation was to protect himself. If he were locked in his cupboard for a prolonged amount of time, he had learned to lock and unlock the chain and go get food and use the loo with his strange powers.

This was just the tip of the iceberg that was his strange abilities. Throughout the years, he had taught himself how to hide, become unnoticeable, and influence people. The latter was found out whenever a parent of one of Dudley's victims came over and saw him. He was covered in bruises from a recent beating and the woman was going to bring in the police and child services.

He couldn't let that happen, because the Dursley's were his, and he was already plotting his revenge and he couldn't enact it if he were taken away from them. So he focused as hard as he could on the woman and manipulated her mind into forgetting that what she saw was as intense as it really was. He made it look like he had only tripped and had very few bruises. She left and to this day, hasn't suspected a thing. Harry smirked slightly at the thought of the strength and depth of his abilities. Then his mind took a dark turn, reminiscing on the side affects of then Dursley's witnessing his powers.

The worst punishment he's ever gotten yet was being locked outside after a vicious beating for asking questions. He had forgotten rule number one: don't ask questions. He knew that rule before he knew his own name. All he asked was where his scar came from and where were his parents. His aunt had screeched at him that his parents were dead, the no good freaks, they died driving drunk in a car crash and that's where his scar came from too. After she answered she had thrown him outside for the rest of the day and night. He had learned how to use his power to lock and unlock things because of that punishment.

When his cousin started school, he had forgotten rule number one again and asked why he wasn't going too. He had been beaten, strangled, and thrown in his cupboard to starve for nearly two weeks. He was let out to use the loo once a day, and ate then as well. During those two weeks his aunt and uncle had talked to him whenever they had passed the slats in the door.

"You freak…. You abomination. You are not worthy enough to go to school."

"Your… _kind_… shouldn't be aloud to mix with normal regular kids, good kids like our Dudders. Shouldn't be allowed to contaminate the regular kids."

"Contaminated… filth… freak… abomination… worthless… anathema… detestable…"

All those words circled around in his head as he made breakfast that morning. His rage grew with each beating he recalled. He knew better than to believe those venomous words they spewed. He was special, superior, and one day he would show them whom the worthless filthy freaks were.

He was so absorbed in his black thoughts that he didn't notice the burning of the breakfast he was making until he was thrown off the stool and collided with table. His vision was overtaken by black and white dots and his aunts screeching sounded very far away. He looked up, dazed, and saw his uncle barrel into the kitchen. Bellowing like a wounded rhinoceros, he grabbed Harry by the throat for the second time this morning and dragged him back towards the stove.

"What did I tell you, boy?!"

Harry was confused until he felt the most horrifying, agonizing pain come from his hands. He shrieked as loud as he could and tried to tear his hands away from the source of his torture.

"Oh no you don't! This is your punishment! You'll take it and be grateful it's not worse!"

His uncle's face was purple with rage as he pushed Harry's hands onto the red eye of the stove. With eyes wide and brimming with tears, harry started to feel woozy from all the pain he was in and he was hearing a strange rushing in his ears. Harry couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight of his sizzling flesh, vaguely aware he was still screaming as loud as humanly possible. Seconds turned into hours and the edges of his vision was blurring red from the anger and then to the blackness of nothingness. Harry could feel unconsciousness creeping up when his uncle finally ripped his hands off the stove. The last thought harry had before he faded away was there was still some skin left on the stove.

He knew nothing but blackness. He was floating on waves of it. Lulling him into a deep calm he'd never felt before. He felt safe for once, in an oddly detached way. He didn't know how long he was rocking back and forth on velvet darkness but he didn't care; his hands didn't hurt anymore.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you guys are enjoying this, and aren't mad at me for my prolonged absence... I love you all!**

**S.I.N.**


	3. Chapter 3

Here's where the changes start to get a bit more drastic.. Hope you like it! :)

Warnings for this chapter: Dumbledore Bashing, talk of child abuse, and a long winded speech from everyone's favorite Dark Lord!

**Bold words: Harry's thoughts**

_Underlined italics: Voldemort's thoughts_

*** CHAPTER THREE ***

He was being cradled by the darkness, pulled and pushed, whispered to. He let the ocean of darkness pull him wherever it wanted him to go until he felt himself stop moving. All he could hear where whispers in the dark, and his own heartbeat. He was still being held so lovingly, so tenderly, by the darkness that he didn't ever want it to stop. He just wanted to let it crush him until he was one with it.

But then there was a new type of pulling. It was tugging him away from the abyss. But all he wanted was rest, so he tugged back. There was a pause and he thought that for once in his life he won something. But then an almighty yank jerked him away from the abyss. He saw a red dot in the distance that was quickly growing closer at a rapid pace.

It was a door! He was moving much too fast, he was going to hit it, face first. Which is exactly what happened. Feeling his nose crunch, the door gave way and he rolled into a room that was behind the crimson door. Lying there, he was aware of pain again. And now his face hurt on top of the mangled flesh of his hands. He groaned deeply as blood seeped into the beautiful emerald carpet he landed on.

"Pretty colors…" Harry mumbled incoherently.

The floor underneath Harry started shaking and he was rolled gently onto his back. He stared, dazed, into two stunned (and stunning) crimson eyes.

"Harry Potter?" the man asked incredulously.

"Mmhmmm… help?" Harry slurred, not sure who the man was but he felt, familiar. He held up his charred hands, and the stranger gasped sharply. Harry was hit by waves of anger, confusion, pain, dizziness, and shocked understanding. And he promptly blacked out. For the second time that day.

* * *

The first thing Harry was aware of was that he didn't hurt anymore, anywhere. The second and third things were a fire crackling and a nearby presence. (The man with the red eyes) Then, a power, heady, like electricity in the air right before a thunderstorm, slightly suffocating but not uncomfortable. It also has a familiarity to it, like a friend long forgotten. But Harry didn't have friends, so that couldn't be right. It also felt like a piece of himself had been missing but was now found. It was confusing him so he decided to ask the man about it, if he was allowed to.

"Ugh, where am I?" Harry got out of a scratchy throat.

He tried to sit up and open his eyes but a strong warm hand on his shoulder prevented him from moving. He froze then, when he realized he asked a question, his eyes shot open in fear and he stared up at the man holding him down. "I.. I am sorry for asking you a question, sir. I'm so sorry. Please don't hurt me. I'm just confused."

* * *

The Dark Lord looked upon the Potter brat in confusion. Here was a child, obviously abused, starved and mistreated. The signs were so glaringly obvious, it was almost painful to look at. Did the world not take care of their savior? He had hung around for a while to see that entire boy who lived nonsense. This boy who tumbled into his mind resembled a kicked puppy, not the pampered prince he had imagined the Potter brat would be. If he was honest with himself, the boy reminded himself of him when he was growing up in the orphanage. He vowed to get to the bottom of the mystery that this boy presented.

"Do not fear questions, child. That's the only way you will learn anything. You have somehow stumbled into my mind. Though I do not yet know how."

The Dark Lord spoke while he leaned forward to trace the scar on Harry's forehead with a finger. As soon as he made contact, a spark of recognition and magic passed between the two causing them both to gasp and jerk apart.

"Impossible!" Lord Voldemort shouted, jumping back towards the stunned boy and placing both hands on his face, who was having a minor panic attack. "Calm yourself child, I will not hurt you, especially if what I think is true…"

* * *

Harry forcefully calmed himself and focused on the handsome face that was inches from his own. His skin was alabaster cream, almost glowing in the firelight, and smooth. He had chiseled cheekbones; so very aristocratic and old fashion. With wavy dark chestnut hair, very nearly black framing the devilish face combed back stylishly to the nape of his neck. His crimson eyes were stark, bright and deep, filled with confusion, and a little bit of anger. His lips, pink like the roses in Aunt Petunia's garden, were turned down in a slight frown. Fingers were dancing across his scar and more tingles were spreading over his face for what felt like a long time until the stranger pulled away from him wearing a shocked and mildly amused expression. That's when Harry noticed his own hands were shiny and pink, and completely healed. The man had told him not to be afraid to ask questions, so he felt safe asking the man some questions while he was silent.

"Uh, who are you? And how can I be in your head? Did you heal my hands? How? What did you to my head? Why are you amused? What's going on?" Harry honestly didn't mean to ask so many questions, but when he opened his mouth they just kept coming out.

The man chuckled softly, almost hysterically, before he answered, "Young Harry Potter, all those questions can all actually be answered in one very long, drawn out story. Are you prepared to learn the truth of your heritage? Of the world? It's not pretty, I am warning you now. I will not sugarcoat things, and I will not put up with any interruptions. If you have questions, write them down and ask at the end of our discussion. And I will not lie. I will never lie to you. The truth is always better than a lie, no matter how painful it is."

There was a long moment of silence while Harry sat up and absorbed these stipulations. They sounded very fair to him. A piece of weird looking paper and a feather and a pot of something black appeared on the table. He stared at it for a minute before he realized it was a quill and ink well. **How old fashioned. Amazing.** So he nodded in agreement and settled into the black leather couch he was laid out on. Harry pulled the silver fur blanket up around his shoulders and waited.

"There is a world out there, Harry Potter, a secret world you and I belong to. This world is of witches and wizards, of magic and dragons, of magical schools, elves, goblins, centaurs, unicorns, Pegasi, vampires, werewolves, and anything else you can dream of. This world Albus Dumbledore is trying to control, behind the scenes. He is a manipulative old man who acts like a genial old grandfather. He plays the harmless card, but I assure you he is anything but. Our story truly starts many years ago with the man Dumbledore and a curse he placed on a seven-year-old boy. The boy's name was Tom Marvolo Riddle and the curse was named the living nightmare curse. 'Mentem alienare multum posse' that literally causes someone to slowly lose their mind and want to gain as much power as possible and they'll do absolutely anything to get it."

"It is undetectable and very hard to get rid of. Dumbledore cursed the child because he needed a foe, someone to defeat to raise his own status, his own power in the eyes of the public. But the old man's plan backfired. As this child grew, he did become more powerful, but also more demented and twisted. His schooling at Hogwart's wasn't enough for him so he took it upon himself to learn all the magic he could get his hands on. He truly wanted to change the world, but the curse warped his mind and motives, making him more ruthless than any tyrant to grace the pages of any history book. He gathered followers; people who wanted the world to change too. He became too powerful, unstable and maniacal. He became a Dark Lord."

At Harry's confused look, he went on to describe a Dark Lord, "A wizard who is by far, exceedingly powerful in whichever art he uses, whether it be the Light, Dark, or Grey Arts. He wrecked havoc on the non-magical world and wizarding world until one day he heard a part of a prophecy. A prediction of the future, that said he would be defeated by a child born as the seventh month died, to parents who have thrice defied him. Without waiting to hear the rest of this prophecy, he rushed off in a fit of insanity and killed the child's parents and tried to kill the boy. The killing curse backfired and destroyed the Dark Lord's body. The reason the Dark Lord didn't die was because he has objects which house pieces of his soul and those keep him anchored to Earth. You are one of these anchors; a Horcrux. I'm guessing it was accidental and happened when you were struck with the killing curse. When his body was destroyed, a piece of the Dark Lord's soul broke off and latched onto you and a piece of your soul latched onto the Dark Lord, causing the insanity curse to break."

"It made him slowly become sane over the years and he has been plotting his revenge. For you see, the prophecy that was witnessed all those years ago that made the Dark Lord hunt your family was a fake. After the Dark Lord's body was destroyed, he was free to roam the physical realm, in a phantom form. He entered the mind of the woman who spoke the prophecy and saw that it was false, but could not find the real one. The fake was staged by Albus Dumbledore to lead the Dark Lord Voldemort to his downfall and Albus would claim all the glory for his defeat. But Albus didn't account for the Horcrux's and when the old man found out you were one, he realized that he had set the true prophecy in motion and that the Dark Lord was still alive. He realized there had to be more than one Horcrux so he made you into the boy-who-lived, the Light wizard's savior, and the defeater of the greatest Dark Lord in history. He then placed you with muggles, non-magic people, who obviously abuse you and hurt you. Which is something I do not understand. You had plenty of people your parents were close to that would've gladly taken you in and given you a proper childhood and life."

Saying this, the Dark Lord looked at Harry with a calculating expression on his face. After a few minutes of silence, when Harry was squirming under the heated gaze, the Dark Lord's eyes got a murderous glint in them.

"But now that I mention it, I know why Dumbledore put you with abusive magic hating muggles: to make you weak, respectful of authority, and to see him as your 'savior' when they introduce you to the wizarding world at age eleven. It would make you feel like you were in his debt, and you would willingly do whatever he tells you to. Or guides you to, the manipulative bastard! He's too underhanded to do anything too obvious. The fake prophecy Dumbledore made paints you as a martyr. I guarantee you he's going to ask you to sacrifice yourself to be rid of the Horcrux inside you and find and destroy the others so the Dark Lord can be truly 'vanquished'. He'll need a weak minded sheep that would make such self-sacrifice for him."

"But Dumbledore didn't anticipate for the Dark Lord to regain his sanity, and when he gets a body back, he will not go after you. He will not fall for the same trick twice, or kill his own soul. He definitely wont let you get played like that by the old man. I can promise you young Harry Potter, that Dumbledore would twist you in such a way. I would not lie to you, about anything, especially something as serious as this. The Dark Lord is smart, exceptionally so, he realized all the unnecessary things he had done in the last war, and saw what needed to be done this time and the right way to do it when he comes back. He will bring the wizarding world back to glory and its rightful place: above those filthy muggles. And this time Albus Dumbledore will not stand in his way. He will restore the world order."

Silence, deep silence, greeted the end of his tale. Magic. Magic existed, magic was what he was doing all those things with. Magic healed his hands. Magic made him stronger, better than the… muggles. But magic also took away his parents. He shook his head lightly to clear the fog from it. He never knew his parents and from what the stranger said they had been in the middle of a war and got caught up. He understood that people die in war. He wouldn't hold a grudge against this 'Dark Lord', especially seeing as how he wasn't even in his right mind when he went after his parents. And hell, he was being played around by this Albus Dumbledore just as much as Harry was.

His blood started boiling as he thought of the man named Dumbledore. That man was the reason he didn't have any parents, why he was with…what did the stranger call them, oh yeah, 'magic-hating muggles'. Yes, this Dark Lord was the one who did the killing, but he would never have come after his parents if it weren't for the old man, Albus Dumbledore. Deep inside, he felt something stirring and realized it was his magic. He would go to this Dark Lord and ask him if he wanted help taking down the old man. Granted, he was a little young, but if he started now, by the time anything important happened he would be more than ready and powerful enough to help this Dark Lord. He just hoped the stranger was right and the Dark Lord was sane and didn't want to kill him anymore. Harry looked into the stranger eyes. His gaze was hard and full of anger. He also felt like crying, but he wouldn't in front of this stranger.

"I _**hate**_ him. He ruined my life, my family! And another innocent boy's! I want to learn magic. I need to! All forms of magic. I want to help that Dark Lord take down the man that painted a target on my parent's backs. I want to help _crush_ him. I want _revenge_. He used the Dark Lord and he wants to use me! I will **not** let that happen! Albus Dumbledore will rue the day he tried to manipulate the Dark Lord and myself!"

By the end of the boy's rant, he was on his feet, shouting and panting for breath. There was a soft, vicious smile on the Dark Lord's face as he observed the belligerent boy.

_He will be beautiful. And powerful. And he's all mine. Albus, your downfall is on the horizon. I'm looking at a mirror of my own soul. I should have taken him that day and raised him as my own. But then things mightn't have turned out as favorable as they are now. _

"I will teach you everything I know, child, if you want to learn and are serious about your proclamation." The Dark Lord said once the boy had calmed down enough. He was now looking around the room with a thoughtful expression on his face. He waited for young Harry to speak, knowing he was thinking deeply.

When in reality, Harry was thinking on a subconscious level but was consciously admiring the room they were in. The black leather couch he was on was facing the fireplace with a low ebony and silver table between them. One either end of the table, there were leather armchairs and one was occupied by the crimson eyed stranger. The carpets were emerald like his eyes, and the walls were a deep charcoal with black Florentine designs on them. The ceiling was black and very, very tall. Almost tall enough not to see the end. Three of the two walls had enormous bookshelves lining them. The only wall that didn't have any shelves was the wall opposite of the fireplace, where a giant ebony and silver desk resided. There were no windows. But there were two other doors besides the gray one he fell through, there was a red one at the right side of the desk and a black one to the left, barely visible. The old oil lamps and table's legs were made of silver in the shape of striking cobras, and very beautiful. Every handle on the doors was a snake as well.

While he finished observing the room, a thought drifted up from his subconscious: he was in this stranger's mind. That would only be possible if he had a connection to the stranger. The only person he had any type of connection to was the Dark Lord. He had a piece of the Dark Lord's soul and the Dark Lord had a piece of his in him. This stranger was none other than the Dark Lord himself! He couldn't be anyone else. **And those eyes… This changes things a bit.** He had healed Harry, helped him, and explained things to him. He had taken time out of his own existence and extended a hand in compassion, understanding and kindness and did things for him no one had ever done before. He turned back to the man he now knew as Lord Voldemort.

* * *

**A/N: Oh no! :) What's our Harry going to do now!? Most of you know, it hasn't changed all that much, but it will here shortly. Thank you all for being so patient with me when I was MIA! Tell me, my lovely readers, should I or should I not, skim the Hogwarts years? I am hung up on that fact. Until next time!**

**S.I.N.  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello again! More changes, I hope you like!**

**Warnings for this story: _THIS WILL BE SLASH EVENTUALLY!_ Dark!Harry. No need to worry, people, I won't be putting anything graphic on here. It'll be on another site.**

**Warnings for this chapter: none... I think**

**Bold words: Harry's thoughts**

_Underlined Italics: Voldemort's thoughts._

*** CHAPTER FOUR ***

"So… what do I call you? My lord? Tom? Riddle? For some reason, I'm guessing you don't like your given name and don't want me to call you Tom. So what'll it be?"

The Dark Lord had twitched viciously when the boy said his first name but by the end of his sentence, Lord Voldemort was delighted. A six-year-old boy had just figured out who he was with very little clues. The boy was very smart and cunning for one his age and that pleased the Dark Lord greatly.

"You may call me Marvolo, my little snake. And I will teach you everything you need to know before you get your Hogwarts letter. We'll make you into the perfect Slytherin, like I was. Hogwarts students are sorted into four different Houses that you live with for all seven years of your magical education. Slytherins are cunning and sly. Ravenclaw's value knowledge above all else, and they are the second best house in my opinion. Hufflepuff's are uncommonly loyal, but weak minded, and Gryffindor's are obnoxious and loud, but brave. I do have a few questions for you first though. One, how come you accepted so easily that you have magic? Two, are you serious about helping me take Dumbledore down? And three, who hurt you and why? I am sure I already know but proof is better than assumption."

"I am dead serious about taking the old man out. My 'family' was the ones who hurt me. They hurt me because I was bad and deserved to be punished for badly burning their breakfast. This is the worst it's been though. Mostly it's just beating with belts, a few slaps and punches, and a couple of days or a week at most in my cupboard. I only get punished if I ask questions, mention anything freakish, do anything freakish, speak out of turn, annoy my cousin, don't do a chore or burn their food."

Harry couldn't help but wince slightly. Even though he was apathetic and, let's just say slightly unhinged, the abuse did get to him. As hard as he tried, he just couldn't help some of the thoughts and feelings that had been instilled in him due to the severity of the abuse he went through. Shaking his head, Harry rid himself of these thoughts and got back on topic.

"Also I wasn't surprised about magic because I've done it before and I've always known I'm special. One time a vicious dog was chasing me and I ended up on the very top of the tree I was trying to climb. Another time I grew a full head of hair in one night when my 'aunt' shaved me nearly bald. And another time one of my aunt's 'friends' insulted the garden I tend to and I got mad and made her hair turn blue. Also, if I concentrate enough, I can lock and unlock any door and make things move."

There was a pause in which Marvolo chuckled before outright laughing. Harry stared in amazement; that laughter made something in him cry out in longing and he was very sad when the laughter stopped.

**I wonder what that was all about, what I was feeling.**

"Now don't get me wrong, little one, I'm not laughing at your misfortune of having to deal with those horrible muggles. Your accidental magic was hilarious. When I was young I used to make things move before I knew about magic. I grew up in an orphanage in the middle of London during World War Two. I was sort of like you, mistreated and abused, made fun of and neglected by everyone. Care takers and children, teachers and strangers alike. I actually suffered through a full exorcism at the age you are now." Marvolo finished quietly.

Harry sat there in shock. He knew exactly what an exorcism entailed only because he had heard about it on the telly and went to read about it in the library as soon as he was able. Going through such a horrifying experience had to have profoundly negative repercussions on someone's psyche. Harry was horrified.

"The impact that must have had. As an impressionable child…" Harry whispered. Marvolo just nodded grimly.

"I told you that to prove to you that out of anyone in this world, I would be able to relate to you more than anyone else probably will be able to. And I want to tell you that whatever they may have called you, it isn't true. You are better than them, by far."

Around inside Harry's head the words abomination, anathema, filth, worthless, freak, detestable, contaminate, swirled. He visibly flinched and before he could stop himself, the mask he was wearing protecting the weak and beaten little boy inside him broke. The tears flooded his face and he lowered his eyes, watching the tears hit his hands clasped in his lap. His shoulders shook as everything hit him at the same time, the lies, the manipulation, the sadness of Tom Riddle's story, of his own, the loss of everything, hit him like a ton of bricks and he finally crumbled.

He was so embarrassed and angry, his cheeks flushed red as he realized he was sobbing. No matter how silent he was trying to be, he couldn't contain the broken gasps of soul wrenching pain from escaping his lips. He heard a rustle of fabric and soon a strong, warm body was embracing him. He was wrapped up in the many layers of robes, clutching to them tightly. Harry's head was being pressed into Marvolo's chest and he relished in the feeling of being held and comforted for the first time in his life that he could remember. Marvolo was making soothing shushing noises as his hand gently carded through Harry's messy locks.

"It's alright, my child. Let it out. There is no reason to be embarrassed. I understand exactly how you feel. And I am so very sorry it had to happen to you."

_Maybe if I had someone to hold me when I was broken I wouldn't have turned out the way I did. On the other hand, that curse would've prevented anything happening but what did._

In Marvolo's arms, the boy had finally quieted and stopped shaking. Although he was still gripping his robes like a lifeline, the poor boy had fallen asleep on him.

_I've ruined this boy's life. The least I can do is teach him of magic and be the father figure he's never had. And let him soak my robes._

With a soft snort, Marvolo stood up and walked to the black door, which opened magically to reveal a bedroom. He walked up to the double king sized bed and made to set the boy in the middle, but he couldn't make Harry let go without waking him. With a small sigh, he crawled into bed and arranged Harry so the boy was cuddled to his chest. He cracked a small smile at what his old friends and followers would say if they could see him now.

To think, hours ago he was in the forests of Albania minding his own business when he felt someone breech his Occlumency shields. He had gone to investigate and low and behold; Harry Potter, bleeding and vulnerable had burst through a door that hadn't been there before. At first, he was just going to tear the boy's mind and soul into fragments, break him until he was just a drooling mass of flesh. But he had seen something in the boy. Some spark of familiarity when the boy asked for help that stilled his hand. He was insanely happy he had waited. He now had 'the boy who lived' on his side, turned against Dumbledore. And all he had to do was tell the boy the truth. And with that thought, he drifted off to sleep.

Five hours later, Harry stirred enough to notice warm arms around him and froze. Remembering what happened right before he fell asleep, he wasn't too surprised to note he was in a room being cuddled by the Dark Lord. That thought alone was enough to make him giggle a little. Which made said Dark Lord groan and tell him to go back to sleep. Stifling another giggle into the clothed chest, he drifted back to sleep.

The next time Harry awoke he was alone on the giant bed. Stretching and snuggling into the silken covers, **they smell amazing****!**, he knew he was as alone in the mindscape that he could be. Seeing a door, he peeked within and saw a modest bathroom and decided to take a shower. When finished, there was a note on the dresser in the room:

_Harry,_

_As you are in my mind, you will find I am not_

_as gone as it appears. There are things that need my attention in_

_the physical world and I am, at the moment, occupied. You_

_will find the red door unlocked. It would be in_

_your best interest to venture inside. What you find will truly_

_help us on our path to victory. And you on your path for revenge._

_All that is needed is for you to enter the room_

_and close the door. It will do the rest._

_Time will be different in there, so what may seem like years_

_will only be a few days. I shall extract you when it is_

_time for you to return to the real world._

_Were you in need of a break, all you would say is 'stop'._

_Hope this letter finds you well,_

_T.M.R._

To say Harry was stunned would be an understatement. He had never had someone write a letter to him, let alone one that explained someone's actions. No one had felt it necessary to inform him of an absence, nor unlock the cupboard to let him out if they were going to be gone for a few days. Harry walked to the red door and hesitantly opened it. Inside was completely dark. Unafraid, Harry stepped inside and the door shut softly behind him.

Immediately the room flooded with light and he found himself in the largest and most amazing Hall he had ever been in. It was lined with four tables each with a banner hanging over top of each. The table furthest to the right had a green banner with a silver snake; the one to the left of it had a blue banner with a bronze raven; the table to the left of that had a yellow banner with a black badger on it; and the last table on the left had a deep red banner with a golden griffin on it.

That last table with the griffin banner was the most boisterous and obnoxious. Just looking at them made him want to shrink back into the shadows and hide. He didn't like people, especially loud people. Behind him on the platform he was standing on, was a long table set perpendicular to the tables with the banners.

Suddenly he realized this was the Great Hall of Hogwarts! Those were teachers and he must be in Marvolo's memory of when he was a student! He looked down at himself and realized he was in Marvolo's body! He could mentally look around, but he couldn't make Marvolo's body move. It was weird for him to be inside a body but have absolutely no control over it. He shrugged mentally and watched as Marvolo was immediately sorted into Slytherin, the House with the green and silver banner. They were the quietest and he liked being here. Marvolo's robes stuck out, it was obvious this was a rich people's house, for everyone's robes but Marvolo's were made of fine quality and were new. He could feel Marvolo's embarrassment and envy and could empathize with him. He had never had nice fitting new clothes either.

The memory faded, and he found himself swept up into a flurried frenzy of memories. He lived Marvolo's first four years at Hogwarts and realized he had retained all the knowledge Marvolo learned. It was hard at first, turning matches into needles and making objects float, defense was amazing and potions was just like cooking. But eventually he figured out how his magic worked and it became simpler. It helped that Marvolo was doing it first and he got to feel how Marvolo's magic flowed. It was easy to copy his movements and the flow of magic, and the years flew by. When it hit his third year, Marvolo signed up for arithmancy, ancient runes, and care of magical creatures. His favorites, personally, were arthimancy, defense, potions, and runes.

The only parts he truly focused on were the classes, and Harry noticed the memories never showed anything but them. He sometimes got glimpses of Marvolo cultivating his friend and had to admire the way he effortlessly manipulated the masses. It was completely different from what Dumbledor had done; this was harmless and strictly for educational and social benefit. Half way through fifth year, he started to get over loaded with new knowledge. Marvolo had been obsessed with Hogwarts library in his first year, and that hadn't changed. It only grew as the years progressed.

Every subject he could get his hands on, Marvolo had devoured. He had also wooed his 'friends' and got them to give him priceless books from their family libraries just by being a helping hand, a friendly listener, a study partner, or a partner in crime. Marvolo had learned from an early age that if you are charismatic and helpful, you could get whatever you need, or manipulate those into giving it to you. He applied this philosophy brilliantly that by the time fifth year came around, he had many new robes and rare books.

Some of those books he acquired had priceless information on the darkest of dark arts, ancient blood rituals, necromancy, the mind arts Occlumency and Legilimency, and many of the lost arts of ancient wizards and witches. It also helped that Marvolo was the last heir of Salazar Slytherin, one of the four founders of Hogwarts. In his second year, the other students of Slytherin had seen him talking to the portrait of Salazar Slytherin in the common room. They had learned he was the Heir of their House. A descendant of the Founder, Salazar Slytherin, and from that day forth, Marvolo was elevated to the position of Prince of Slytherin. That was the last time he had wanted for anything.

One thing all the books he acquired had in common was the darkness of the knowledge he consumed. Marvolo had claimed in his fourth year that light magic was weak, and he could not control it as well as he could dark magic. Harry, hand in hand with the young Marvolo, went from novice to advanced dark magic users in one year. He found the room he walked into with the red door aloud him to actually perform the magic that Marvolo was using. And if he couldn't perform the spell, it showed him how, the motions, the incantations and the power flow behind the spell, curse, or charm.

That is why he called out 'stop' halfway through the fifth year, the magic was getting to be over his head and he was feeling extremely fatigued. The room had stopped on an image of Marvolo in the middle of a training session in the Room of Hidden Things he had found in his fourth year.

He was frozen with his face contorted into a mask of fierce concentration, his eyes ablaze with a passion and fervor absent in most common people nowadays. His wand was thrust forward and a wicked purple corkscrew curse had just burst from the tip, hell bent on obliterating the training dummy in front of him. His eyes were riveted on the frozen form of Marvolo, so engrossed in the image that Harry failed to notice the real thing emerging from the shadows behind him.

**Those eyes, so driven in one so young. I know if I were to have looked in a mirror not but twenty minutes ago I would've seen the same consumed, insane glint in my eyes. But this, Marvolo's gleaming eyes, those hold real insanity. I can see the difference, but I can taste the power, even though this is but a mere memory.**

He reached forward to touch the younger, frozen Marvolo's hair when the real Marvolo's voice slid across Harry's ears like silk on skin.

"If you wanted to touch me, all you had to do was ask."

Harry jumped so high in the air and his heart was pounding in his ears. He flushed a deep red when he realized he had been caught staring and about to touch something that wasn't even there.

"I… I would like to feel your hair Marvolo. It just looks so soft. It always looks so perfect. Unlike mine which never lies flat."

_(remember our Harry has never had any positive physical contact he's curious, in an innocent way)_

Chuckling, Marvolo tugged Harry toward the door to the main rooms and sat them down on the big leather couch.

"You may touch my hair, Harry. And yes, I assure you it is as soft as it looks. The solution to your problem, my snake, would be to grow your hair out. Your hair wouldn't be so unruly if it were longer. Besides all that, I am proud of what you have accomplished in the time I have been busy. You have done much more than I thought you would have. I, as well, have accomplished one of my goals and you will see what it is when you awake. I hope you don't mind sharing."

Harry could only guess what he was talking about and if it was what he thought, then he didn't mind sharing at all. Touching Marvolo's hair was slightly awkward, but it was as soft as he imagined it would be. Softer than velvet and silk; softer than his own hair. For some odd reason, it made him remember when he had started trying to perform more advanced spells. There was some kind of block preventing him from being able to cast certain spells. It made him frustrated to remember it and he decided to bring it up..

"Marvolo, when fifth year started and you started the harder spells, like the Cruciatus Curse and those necromancy spells, my magic wouldn't work right. Everything but those higher level dark spells worked perfectly, even those hard rituals you did for an eidetic memory and elemental magic. I just don't understand why the harder spells didn't work. Is it because I'm only six? Probably, but something felt off. It felt like there were chains…or ropes tying my magic down. Do you know what it is?"

Finishing his question, Harry noticed Marvolo had started shaking with rage and his face had whitened. Harry knew it wasn't directed at him so he wasn't upset, he was just wondering what Marvolo was thinking. Marvolo took a steadying breath and closed his eyes, and answered Harry with his eyes shut tightly.

"Meditate and bring forth your magic like we learned how to do in second year. Keep it up no matter what you may feel. I'm going to examine your magical core."

Marvolo was already meditating before he finished speaking so Harry dove into his core and struggled to bring his magic to the surface. Finally, he was there and was right; a web like substance surrounded his entire magical core. There was a dark spot that was more heavily webbed and he was instantly aware that it was part of what had broken off of Marvolo years ago. He could sense the now familiar, heady magic that was Marvolo's, leaking slightly from it.

His own core was a smoky gray now but if he had his way, his core would be the same size and color as Marvolo's. He didn't know why he wanted that, but it was just an instinct, and he always trusted his instincts. Perhaps it had something to do with the way Marvolo had treated him so far, how he had talked to him and already been there for him more than anyone else had ever been. Marvolo had given Harry proof that he wasn't like the filthy and pathetic muggles he was forced to live with. And that alone meant more to him than he could properly express.

He felt Marvolo examine his core and he shivered at his proximity, which evoked strange feelings within Harry, that he couldn't even begin analyzing. He brushed up against Harry's core a little harder this time, with the intention of shattering those blocks someone had placed on his magic. Two pushes were all it took for the main web to break off but Marvolo's piece of soul was still being cut off. Marvolo could feel Harry targeting the webbing around his piece of soul and trying to break it but Harry wasn't strong enough, not even with the dramatic increase to his magic. So as soon as Harry was pushing against it, Marvolo pulled and the barrier surrounding the piece of soul shattered with a decent explosion.

Marvolo was ejected out of Harry's core and thrown across the room and Harry flew back into a bookshelf. Marvolo stood up and brushed himself off just to be astounded that everything was floating, including a giggling Harry. He smiled and shook his head as he realized this was just Harry's excess power finding an outlet so it wouldn't hurt either of them or destroy the room. Marvolo's voice reached Harry through the high the magic was giving him, telling him that he needs to reign himself back in before he collapsed from magical exhaustion. Harry opened his eyes to see everything fall back into place and a smiling Marvolo.

"Keep this up you and I are going to be unstoppable. No one will ever be able to hurt you or manipulate us again. Just wait until you get a wand. Now there's something I don't really want to tell you but it will help solidify in your mind that Dumbledor truly is a dangerous old coot. He was the one who put the blocks on your magic."

The room started to tremble, which honestly was a feat. Seeing as how they were in a mindscape, not in the physical world.

"Dumbledore…" Harry growled dangerously. Marvolo saw the dark look on the boy's face and was full of glee.

_Give him a few more years and that expression will have grown men running for the hills. Dumbledore, you better watch what you do, my apprentice is on the rise._

* * *

**A/N: Ah yes, another one done, and three more to go! I promise I won't ever take so long to update again!**

**S.I.N.  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**Warnings for this chapter: slight muggle torture. Nothing graphic. Just some fun..**

**Bold Words: Harry's thoughts**

_Underlined Italics: Voldemort's thoughts_

*** CHAPTER FIVE ***

"In time we will have our revenge. Now it is pertinent you return to your body. I think you've been here for about nine weeks. I will follow you, if you don't mind sharing." Marvolo finished with a smirk.

Harry was totally flabbergasted! Nine weeks!

"How in the blazes am I alive right now?" Harry practically shouted.

"You've been in a magical coma. Your body goes into stasis, induced by magic. You will be hungry when you wake, but you haven't needed food, drink, or the use of facilities. I'm guessing learning all that you have took longer than we realized. And time for me, in my phantom form, passes differently." Marvolo explained which calmed Harry's nerves exponentially.

Harry nodded and added that he didn't mind sharing, he'd never had anyone to share with, or anything to share, really. So the idea of sharing anything with Marvolo felt good. With that, he opened his eyes to the real world and realized he felt better than he had in his entire life. He realized he could see without his glasses. A voice resounded in his head, making him gasp in shock and sit straight up, knocking his head on the underside of the stairs.

_Harry. You didn't tell me that you sleep in a boot cupboard, under the stairs. Those muggles are going to regret the day they were born… As will Dumbledore. And yes Harry, you can hear me in your mind, and respond. Also I couldn't help but notice your wonder at being able to see without glasses. Our combined magic has corrected your eyesight. There is one thing that I require you to do though. I am unable to share your body with you because there are wards keeping me out unless you come out and absorb me into your body. Will you do that for me?_

**I mentioned it once, but didn't go into detail. It's embarrassing and degrading. This is going to be one of those things we change, among other things. They have an extra, unused bedroom upstairs that I'm claiming as mine. Of course I'll do that for you Marvolo. I remember learning about wards in your rune class. And thanks for helping with my eyes. Everything's so clear! Oh crap, I hear the muggles. They must've heard it when I hit my head on the stairs! **

_Calm Harry, send an amplified wandless stinging hex at them if they threaten you, but do not worry. I will help you more once we merge. _

Before Harry could respond, the cupboard door was wrenched open and he was met with the wary face of his 'aunt'.

"Impossible you should be dead, you worthless freak! How are you alive?" his aunt shrieked at him.

Instead of making him shrink back like he normally would have done, something within him snapped and he unfolded himself from the cupboard and met his aunts sneering face with a cold glare of his own.

"Listen here, you disgusting muggle filth! I have put up with you and your family's mistreatment and down right abuse for as long as I was able! I am a wizard and I will NOT let a muggle like yourself talk to me like that!" as his aunts face flooded with fear and disbelief, he smirked. "After your whale of a husband locked me in there and left me for dead, I discovered my magic and I was taught many things and one of them is that I will no longer tolerate your treatment of me!"

Harry had ended up yelling, which attracted the attention of Dudley and Vernon. They were both frozen on the threshold of the hallway, staring at the scene before them. Harry had his aunt backed up to the wall and she was shaking like a leaf. Vernon bellowed and charged forward only to fall backward onto his arse when he got hit with a super charged stinging hex. Harry had made it feel like a strong jolt of electricity and was fascinated watching his 'uncle' twitch and writhe on the floor, in obvious pain.

Vaguely, he noticed they had packed up some of their things and realized distantly that it was their vacation time. Shaking off those unnecessary thoughts, Harry focused on his core and expanded the hex to his 'aunt' and 'cousin'. He also turned up the intensity and they were now screaming loudly on the floor, all three of them. Harry found the sight truly mesmerizing. He couldn't help but want to let this go on forever, giving them a taste of what they put him through over the years. But what made it all so much better was the rich baritone laughter echoing through his head. The screams reached a new volume due to the happiness he felt from the Dark Lord flooding his mind. They both reveled in the screams for another minute before he lifted the curse and stood firmly in front of his uncle.

"Things are going to change around here, Vernon. I will no longer be your whipping boy or servant. I will no longer sleep under the stairs and you will all do what I say. You will also provide me with a proper wardrobe and nourishment. If you do not, what you just felt will be nothing compared to what will happen to you. And Dudley, you and your friends will never lay hands on me again. Or you will find yourself without any. Am I understood, everyone?" Harry drawled, while staring down at his 'family'.

Vernon looked like he was about to have a fit, but he eventually nodded. Dudley had actually pissed himself and was whimpering like the pig he was. Petunia looked scared, and was shaking so badly that Harry couldn't tell if she was having a seizure or trying to nod.

"Good. Now get the hell out of my sight. I have things I need to do and you are prohibiting me from doing them." he sneered and started laughing when they all scrambled away from his as fast as their still convulsing muscles let them move. By the time he had turned around and stopped laughing, they were gone.

**I'm going to shower first. Even though I was in a magical coma, I still don't want to meet you face to face, sort of, without showering first.**

A sense of agreement and more laughter floated through his mind and he found himself laughing right along with him. After the long and soothing shower, Harry put on the nicest shirt and slacks he had and went out back to where he felt the heady, but familiar, dark magic of Marvolo. The wards tingled across his skin when he left them. He marveled at being able to feel them for the first time. He was willing to bet it was because some of those rituals Marvolo performed.

Hovering under a tree just outside the fence was a cloud of black mist. It clung to the shadows and Harry hurried to it, wondering what the merge would feel like. Acting on his instincts, Harry took a step forward and was immediately surrounded by the black mist. It hugged him, wrapping him in its warm muggy hold. It gave Harry chills, to be surrounded by the tantalizing darkness, evoking strange feelings from him. Harry breathed it in deeply, willing it inside of him. What happened next left him feeling dizzy and light headed.

**This must be what those drugs that my 'aunt' talks about feel like. It feels so strange, like my chest is hallow and so is my head. But at the same time they both feel heavy. I like it.**

Harry giggled and spun in a quick circle just to hear real laughter bubbling up from his head, not only an echo anymore.

_It will take some getting used to but after a while you will be all right. Now, walk back into the house and lets go clear out that second bedroom. I have an excellent idea of what we can do to occupy our time while the filth are out of the house._

**All right. What are we going to do? Food first though. I'm hungry.**

While he was walking past the wards, he felt a slight resistance but he just pushed out his magic to force the wards to accept his new 'guest'. He crossed them with no problems after that and headed for the kitchen. He put together a simple sandwich and had some juice. He finished the whole thing without feeling sick and grabbed a garbage bag and headed upstairs. He let his mind drift as he put everything in the room but the books into garbage bags. It didn't take long because he wasn't saving anything, although the two broken telley's and computers had to be hauled off specifically. He'd just force Vernon to do it when he returned.

After the room was cleaned and the telley's and computers kicked down the stairs, Harry went downstairs and decided it was too nice outside to stay inside.

_I'm going to teach you to do many things, but our long term goal is you knowing how to apparate so we can go to Diagon Alley where you can get some books to read, a wand, potion ingredients, some things for your bedroom, and new clothes. I will not have my apprentice walking around looking like a street urchin. And I haven't been around the wizarding world for a few years and I am not caught up on current events. There is also something I'd like to check up on at Gringotts, the wizard's bank. There's still so much to teach you.. Go outside and find a clearing in the wood down the road. We will practice apparition there, among other things._

Harry was just stuck on the apprentice part. His heart sunk as he realized he had no money but Marvolo quickly corrected him, telling him his parent's money was in a vault, probably several, within Gringotts. He was the third richest family in wizarding Britain, after the Malfoy's; some followers of his, and the Flamels; makers of the philosopher's stone. Harry already knew about the stone and Marvolo's followers, he and Marvolo read about the stone in the beginning of his fifth year and he watched the beginning of the cultivation of Marvolo's followers. After he heard he was rich, he sat in shock in the middle of a clearing in the woods he had walked to while Marvolo and him were talking.

_Hopefully, within a week, you will learn how to apparate. Since you house my spirit, and our magic has combined, the Trace has been obliterated. It does not register all the wandless magic we have been doing, but it would register the apparation. With me inside your mind, and our magic as one, we need not worry about the Trace and it will be easier to apparate because I will guide the immense amount of magic we have combined in the right direction and you will more than likely master it soon. You are incredibly quick when it comes to learning things._

The rest of that day and the next were spent trying to apparate to the opposite side of the clearing. So far he was unsuccessful, so Marvolo suggested a break in the form of meditation and finding his core and bending it to his will. They had been at it for almost a week and he was able to find his and Marvolo's shared core and bend it to his will. They practiced their new powers by transfiguring the second bedroom into a room fit for a king. Using their combined magic, Marvolo instructed Harry one how to magically expand the walls to double the size of the room.

When that was done with little trouble, Marvolo explained how it wouldn't affect the rest of the house and the muggles wouldn't even notice unless they came in the room. From there, they turned the beige carpet into a plush emerald green one, the same color as Harry's eyes. The walls they turned medium gray with silver swirls in the paint. The single bed was changed into a queen sized four poster, wrought iron bed, with green hangings and silver sheets. The dilapidated desk was transformed into a behemoth blood wood one as a tribute to Marvolo's eyes. Standing there, admiring their work, Harry was stunned at the elegance. The only times he had ever seen a room this beautiful was in Marvolo's memories of the pureblood's manor's and the room in Marvolo's mindscape.

On a suggestion of Marvolo's, Harry had been going into his memories more often so he could mimic the pureblood attitude that Marvolo and some of his friends and followers had. He did this so that when he went to Hogwarts, he wouldn't offend any purebloods and new potential followers and act like a fool. Harry was also heir and future Lord of the ancient and brave House of Potter, and had to learn how to act like it. He also loved watching the memories of the Death Eater meetings; Harry was guessing that Marvolo's soul piece within him had made him develop a tiny cruel streak.

Or else it was all him, being slightly mad due to the muggle's abuse. Even though Marvolo was insane during that time, Harry could still see his genius. Just watching those followers who failed their missions be punished, filled him with a great sense of excitement and dark joy. He knew it was wrong of him to feel this way but he didn't care, life had been cruel to him so far. He didn't understand why he should be kind to those who didn't deserve it.

After another week, Harry apparated successfully for the first time across the clearing. He was so excited that he was jumping and yelling so loudly Marvolo had to pull him into their mindscape or he would've attracted the unwanted attention of the runners on the path through the woods. After apparition was learned, they moved their attention to glamours and the ability to alter Harry's appearance. Marvolo told him the only reason he was able to do this at all was because they were sharing a body and core. When Harry questioned why he couldn't appear as 'Harry Potter' in the Alley's, Marvolo asked if he wanted to be mugged or asked questions he couldn't answer without giving everything away, well he didn't so he had to fly under the radar until Hogwarts at least. When he finally made it to Hogwarts in a few years, he would be ready and able to take the wizarding world by storm.

Five days later, the glamour was complete and Harry was ready to go to Diagon Alley. The only thing he needed was a makeshift robe and outfit. His body was a combination of wandless human transfiguration to make him taller, about 5' 11'', and a little bulkier and facial glamours to change his eye color, hair color and add some age to him. He now had deep blue eyes and dark brown hair. Without Marvolo's magic, he wouldn't have been able to hide his scar and that was absolutely necessary. Since Marvolo made the scar, only his magic could hide it.

_I suggest one of your 'aunts' dresses and we can wandlessly transfigure it into a robe and a jacket of hers into a cloak. That would be easiest since she is as tall as your glamour is._

He had to wear woman's clothing. How…insipid. He picked out a long black dress and a black long coat from his aunt's closet and held them closely. In his mind, he focused on a robe and cloak he had seen Marvolo wearing during one of his meetings. It was a charcoal gray and deep emerald green robe, lined with black silk. The robe was double breasted with two rows of silver patina buttons with ornate 'S's on them. The sleeves and high collar had emerald stitching in the shapes of snakes. The robes billowed out at the waste like living shadows but the outer cloak was simple, charcoal gray on the outside with the crest of Slytherin on the back and deep emerald silk on the inside. They were lightweight and Harry knew he could wear them now without being too hot. The dress and long coat morphed into these clothes before his very eyes and he put them on with a happy smile on his face.

Marvolo was shocked. He couldn't believe his apprentice respected and admired him enough to want to emulate him. He was happy, and smug, that his little snake decided to wear one of his favorite robes. Once Harry was in them, Marvolo couldn't help but wonder at how much he already looked like a pureblood.

**Or my favorite Dark Lord?**

Marvolo laughed at having been caught admiring his young charge's fashion choice. He was glad he had made such an impact.

_Yes, yes time to go my little serpent. We have a lot to do this day. Are you ready to go? The shops should be opened already._

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**A/N: Wooo! Another one done, once again! Getting closer to the slight twist in chapter seven I do believe. It all depends. Read on an figure it out! :)**

**S.I.N.  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**HI! I think this is a record, no? :) Well, read on, my loves, and review!**

**Warnings for this chapter: sadness**

**Bold words: Harry's thoughts**

_Underlined italics: Voldemort's thoughts_

*** CHAPTER SIX ***

Harry could hardly contain his excitement. They had been getting up early every day for almost the last three weeks to get an early start on learning new things he needed to know and expanding his knowledge on the things that he had only touched briefly in the mindscape. Right at the moment it was noon and he walked outside the wards and apparated to Diagon Alley.

Harry was stunned. No, overwhelmed would be the proper term. He had seen the Alley in Marvolo's memory so he wasn't shocked and overwhelmed by the stores and their merchandise. No, it was the masses of people milling everywhere, the hordes of children running, laughing, and screaming all up and down the Alley.

**I know they're happy, but there's no need to be screaming.**

Harry heard a laugh in his mind and knew Marvolo was amused with his slight wince when a child's shrill scream nearly ruptured his eardrum. Even though he had seen it all in a memory, there was no beating being in the Alley in person. And since the Dark Lord had been here a few new shops had been added, a house furniture store, an extra clothing store, and what looked like an antique store. The colors were bright, the people were happy, the stores overflowing, and everything was so bizarre to Harry. In the distance he could see his target: a tall white marble building that towered over all the others. Gringotts, the wizarding bank.

A sudden idea occurred to Harry, he didn't want to have to be pushed around and bump into people. He pulled up his and Marvolo's dark core and swirled it around them like Harry had seen the Dark Lord do in a few of his meetings. Dark gray smoke shrouded his feet and pooled off his cloak, and sparks of violent purple and black flew through the air around his body. They coalesced with the aura's of others and they shivered as the darkness caressed them. The crowd parted like the Red Sea, and yanked their children behind them and out of his path. With Marvolo's sinister chuckles floating in his head, Harry couldn't stop the smirk that crept onto his face. People actually flinched back when they saw it, making Harry let out a soft but amused laugh.

Getting to Gringotts in record time thanks to the trick he employed, he walked straight through the doors and up to a free teller. Taking Marvolo's advice, he waited until the Goblin acknowledged his presence before speaking.

"How may I help you today, sir?" the Goblin asked grudgingly.

"I need to speak to the manager of my vaults about various matters of delicacy and importance." Harry spoke softly, yet firmly.

"And which vaults would those be, sir?"

"I cannot stress this enough, Goblin, this needs to be done quietly. No one must find out the vaults I access today were accessed." at the Goblin's hesitant nod, Harry continued, "The Potter vaults."

The goblin's eyes widened, then narrowed drastically.

"Right this way… sir. Follow me."

Harry was led through a single golden door and told to wait in the room behind it that looked like it belonged in an ancient Roman cathedral. He didn't have to wait long on the uncomfortable chair until a formidable looking Goblin with an enormous battle axe attached to his hip came in and led him to lavish office and sat down behind the rather large desk. Harry sat down on one of the squashy silver chairs in front of the desk and waited.

"My name is Thorhorn, and I am the manage of the Potter vaults. Before I speak to you, you must prove who you are. Come up to the desk and fill this bowl with your blood." on the desk, he placed a gold dagger and a small crystal bowl. "And please remove your glamour."

Doing as told, Harry approached the desk as his six-year-old self. Luckily, the clothes had shrunk on his form, or the large robes would've pooled at his feet. The Dark Lord laughed softly in his head, but was otherwise quiet. Grabbing the gold dagger and dragging it across his palm, Harry didn't wince or hiss, barely even registering the semi-deep wound. After the bowl was full, the cut healed itself on its own. Slowly, the bowl was draining out onto four separate pieces of paper spread out on the desk.

"Now, if you are who you claim to be, each page will fill with information. One is your parentage, the other your assets, the next is a proof of your magical signature and abilities, and the last is any bequeaths left to you by witches or wizards in the last five years."

On the desk, the papers were filling with said information. But one glowed a strange green color. Thorhorn picked up the pulsing paper and studied it with a deep frown.

"Well you are who you say you are, Mr. Potter. Usually we don't let six year olds access their vaults and information without their magical guardian, but you are a special case Mr. Potter. Your parents left a brief statement with the bank after they updated their will that stated that you were to have access to your vaults from the very first time you walked through our doors. You are indeed lucky, Mr. Potter. But this page, your magical signature and abilities, is not as it should be. There is a six-hour tracking charm on your person. A broken magic dampening spell, an obedience potion that your magic has worn down and a stasis charm on your growth, which is still in effect."

Hearing this, Harry and Marvolo's tempers flared and the room started trembling. Harry himself was shaking, and things started to whirl around the room.

_That meddling old goat! I know this was Dumbledore's doing. This has his modus operandi written all over it._

Already having figured that out, Harry's eyes bled red and he clenched his hands into fists. The ink well on the desk shattered into a thousand pieces and the ink turned to black dust. The chair next to Harry turned to ashes, which floated in the air like glitter. The floor started cracking and the ceiling was raining small pebbles down upon them. By this time, the Goblin was full out cackling in mad glee and rubbing his hands together.

"Oh this is perfect. Gentlemen please calm down, I do not wish to reconstruct my entire office, or the foundation of the bank, for that matter. Do not worry, the meddlesome old man will get what is coming to him and it will be at your hands. Dwell on that later, the three of us have business to conduct." Thorhorn finished with a vicious smirk.

Marvolo froze and Harry's insides turned to ice.

**Oh crap, what do we do?**

_Relax Harry, Goblins enjoy watching wizard wars and very rarely interfere. And if I remember correctly, they don't like Dumbledore very much._

Harry took a deep breath and asked the Goblin how he knew.

"The other thing this parchment tells me Mr. Potter, is that your magical core has rapidly expanded, and has recently darkened. It also contains the magical signature of the Dark Lord. Normally, it wouldn't be noticeable, even by the most powerful wards or Dark Detectors, but here at Gringotts, our tests and wards are a step above any other known to wizard kind. Therefore, it was obvious."

At that, Thorhorn looked extremely smug, but Marvolo wasn't convinced of their secrecy. It was imperative for this development between the Dark Lord and Harry to be kept quiet. He came to the front of Harry's mind, and the magic in the room became suffocating. Harry was drowning in it, the absolute darkness emanating throughout his head and body. He almost lost himself, and had to struggle to hear what Marvolo was asking the goblin. He heard the words fall from his own lips, twisted with hisses and anger.

"So you and your kind will not tell that old fool of this? I will have my revenge on him and I will not let you and yours ruin it."

The goblin looked affronted, but extremely pleased at the amount of magic coursing through the room. He was practically vibrating from the strength of it and when he answered Marvolo's not so subtle threat, the glee was obvious in his voice.

"Of course not Lord Voldemort. Your wizarding wars are not our concern. If anything, our bank flourishes when you wizards are warring. We here will gladly keep your secret, as we appreciate any form of nasty surprises. This has to be the best one of the century, and can't wait to witness the disastrous fallout from its reveal. Now, let Mr. Potter come back. There is still much we need to discuss."

Harry smirked viciously at the goblin's words, extremely excited about the promises of blood within them. The red eyes faded back to vibrant green, and Harry asked the question that had been bothering him for a while.

"May I see the paper that shows all transactions and property listed?"

This had been an item of great interest for Harry and Marvolo for a while. Harry had the sneaking suspicion that Dumbledore had been stealing from him. There was no reason for these feelings, other than his gut instincts. Marvolo started making soothing motions with his magic, like the waves of an ocean against the shore. It instantly relaxed Harry while Thorhorn produced the sheet of paper. The goblin's eyes widened and he actually gasped out loud.

"Mr. Potter, I promise on all the gold inside this bank that the situation with your vaults will be fixed with the utmost most urgency and secrecy. It has become apparent that Mr. Dumbledore has been withdrawing money from your vaults and moving it into three separate accounts. One in a muggle bank, under the tittle of "Harry's care", the other into the vault of the Order of the Phoenix, and the last into a vault that's named "Future plans". We are unaware of the nature of the last vault, but from what we have gathered that is the vault with the most of the money going to it. The recipient of the first account is one Vernon Dursley under the pretenses of the cost of caring for you. The amount saved, is enough to equal one eighth of your entire fortune. Which is quite a lot. The second is self-explanatory. Luckily, he has been unable to access any of your properties, or the family vaults."

Thorhorn said all this as calmly and quietly as possible. But both Marvolo and Harry could see he was enraged. Truthfully, it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be, but both of them were worried about the reason for the last vault. It could mean anything, but most likely it was to pay for the manipulations of Harry in the future. Coming to a silent agreement, Harry opened his mouth to inquire about his parent's will and the current state of his guardianship.

"Where is my parent's will and can it be read to me? What would be needed for me to become a ward of another guardian or adopted into a wizarding family?"

"Well Mr. Potter, the will is here on my desk. Albus Dumbledore had it sealed, but we at Gringotts have decided to unseal it. He had no right to seal it anyway, but that man seems to believe he is above the law."

Thorhorn stated while pulling out a parchment, a very fancy looking one, and tapped his fingers on the Gringotts seal. It immediately started glowing white and a voice spoke, resonating in the room.

* * *

"Prongslet, it's Dad here, if you're hearing this, than I'm guessing old snake face took your mother and I down. He'd be the only one strong enough to do it. All those death munchers were too weak to-"

"JAMES! We are not here to talk about Voldemort. We're here to make sure our dear Harry gets taken care of! Hello, Harry my sweet little boy. First let me tell you I love you, and I am so sorry we aren't there to hug you and tell you that in person. Second, I don't trust Dumbledore anymore-"

"Lily! Don't fill his head with that! Albus is just trying to help!"

"Anyway, I want you to develop your own perspective and decide what's right for you, and not what's right for everyone else. I don't care if you leave Britain or join Voldemort- shut UP James- I'll love you anyway and so will your father. House's don't matter to us either, as long as you're happy. Right James?"

"Right… I won't care, son, as long as you don't make friends with the Malf-"

"James! Ok honey, I'm taking over again, since I just silenced and bound your father. Honestly, whenever he grows up I'll die of shock. We bequeath to Moony, 100,000 galleons and the cottage in upper Scotland. Use it to buy some clothes, dear. And make sure our little Harry gets some good potions books. And I guess a broom, when he gets older. I'll un-silence you, James, if you can behave."

"Alright I'll be good. Albus you get 15,000 galleons to use how you wish. And my beloved son, you get the rest. Padfoot, you don't need anything seeing as how you get the Black fortune. We've decided to make Sirius Black our first choice of where Harry should go to incase something does happen to us. Take care of our boy, Pads."

"And our second choice is Severus Snape. Severus, if you're there, I love you and forgive you. You're like the brother I've always wanted, and I know once you realize Harry isn't just part of James, and that he's part of me, you'll love him as much as you did me. Watch out for him. If they are unavailable to become Harry's guardians, under no circumstance is he to go to my sister. She hates magic, and I shudder at the thought of what her and her terrible husband would do to my sweet Harry."

"This is the last will and testament of James and Lily Potter. We love you son. We're proud of you, always."

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**A/N: How sad... not a happy chappie at all. But it gets better later, next chapter and chapter eight will make up for it. Review with your thoughts!**

**S.I.N.  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**This chapter is one of my favorites. Hopefully you'll all feel the same. :)**

**Warnings for this chapter: Dumbledore bashing**

**Bold words: Harry's thoughts**

Underlined regular words: Lucius' thoughts

Disclaimer: **SEE CHAPTER ONE!**

*** CHAPTER SEVEN ***

A heavy silence filled the room after James' voice faded away. Harry was sitting completely still, waves of pain and disbelief flowing through him and Marvolo didn't know what to do. Marvolo had felt minor irritation at being called snake faced, and his illustrious Death Eaters being called "munchers". But now he was worried about Harry's mind and heart. He could feel the dull pain and sense of loss resonates within his heart and soul and reacted instinctively.

He wrapped Harry's magic and mind in a cocoon of his magic and squeezed. The reaction was immediate. Harry let loose a soft sob and tears flew from his eyes. He turned inward and numbed himself to his feelings by burrowing as deeply into Marvolo's core as he could. The sad emerald eyes bled into remorseful crimson ones and Marvolo asked the goblin softly,

"Please remove the tracking charm from Harry, and send a copy of this will to the Ministry, along with the charges of abuse of power against Albus Dumbledore. Make sure to make it look as if you are doing all this because you found discrepancies due to a random check up on all high priority clients. We want Dumbledore removed from being Harry's magical guardian, and send a request of guardianship to Lucius Malfoy with the words Vindico Tenebrae on there somewhere. Make sure that is done as quietly as possible. Also, stop the transactions unapproved by Harry, dissolve all keys to his vaults, and return all the galleons stolen if you would be so kind."

Thorhorn nodded his head sharply, and with sadness in his eyes, left the room quietly to get someone started on those requests and to give the Dark Lord time to relax his host. Marvolo turned inward and found that Harry had recovered slightly and was currently plotting many interesting, and graphic, ways to murder Dumbledore. He had to chuckle when the one Harry was currently working on involved hot honey, a swarm of bees, and a couple grizzly bears. It was down right bloody and vicious, especially when it turned out that Harry had imagined himself having the animagus form of a grizzly. He surrounded Harry with amusement and satisfaction as the grizzly-Harry ripped the Headmaster's head clean off his shoulders and started devouring it.

"I'm sure that would taste hideous. Down right sour, like those lemon drops he loves so much.."

Harry started at the sound of Marvolo's voice echoing around him. Although he had given Harry a few good ideas for pranks of the not so innocent kind involving Dumbledore and his lemon drops just by mentioning them. Harry ginned viciously as his mind went swirling with the thought of all the different forms of petty revenge he could take upon the Headmaster while he was attending Hogwarts. It would truly be incredible and he couldn't wait to get started. Marvolo laughed softly at the direction Harry's thoughts had taken and was surprised when he noticed Harry shiver.

Marvolo's laughter and hedonic magic filled Harry's mind. It made him shiver and helped him recover fully. Harry blinked and was surprised to see he was alone in their mindscape. Marvolo was floating around his entire body, surrounding him in red sparking darkness. It was softer than the wind through his hair, smoother than silk against his skin, lighter than air in his lungs, and sweeter than sugar on his tongue. It was the darkness that was all Marvolo, the blissful serenity of the darkest night, the calming thrumming of the magic of the darkest kind. And it was exactly what Harry needed to regain his footing.

With Marvolo, he would take revenge on Dumbledore, the real reason his parents were dead, and the reason he was living with those pieces of filth that occupied number 4 Privet Drive. There was no point in becoming a weak, whimpering child, mourning the loss of something that he never knew. He would build something with Marvolo to fill the hole in his chest. The darkness that was his mentor, his Lord, purred in agreement at these thoughts and squeezed Harry tightly.

**I guess we won't get to use that beautiful room we created, if I'm going to become a ward of the Malfoy's.**

The only answer was a small laugh and a flood of amusement. Harry opened his eyes and looked around the room with new eyes. Everything would fall into place, or he would force it to. Break it down, cut it up, reshape the world until it fit with the picture he and Marvolo saw in their shared mind. Thorhorn was back and smiling grimly at the boy in front of him.

"Everything is in order, Mr. Potter. Lord Malfoy has already responded positively, assuring you and your guest he understands the sensitive nature of your request. He also said he would be here as soon as everything was confirmed, which should be no longer than thirty minutes. Albus has already been removed as your magical guardian, he will know about it as soon as Lord Malfoy is able to acquire guardianship, but he will not know you have instigated this process. By the time he tries anything, there will be nothing he can do. As for the matter of returning your misappropriated money, that has already been done as well."

Harry was shocked at how quickly everything had been done, but Marvolo urged him to look at the timepiece on the desk and was startled to see three hours had gone by since he had withdrawn into himself. He shifted his eyes back to the goblin as he started shuffling papers around on his desk.

"Mr. Potter, I was wondering if you would be interested in a new tool we are implementing here at Gringotts. It is a card, very similar to a muggle debit card, which withdraws money from your account immediately. It works in both worlds, magical and muggle. Many of the wealthier family's are using them now, as they don't have to lug around bags full of heavy galleons and sickles. It comes with theft protection, as only the owner of the vault it is attached to can use it. It taps into your magical signature to guarantee that it is you that is using it."

Harry thought that sounded like a perfect solution to the problem he had just thought of. I mean really. Who expected wealthier wizards and witches to go around lugging huge bags of money with them everywhere? What if he had to buy something expensive and didn't have to amount? So he signed the required paper work and dropped a single drop of blood on the card, which went from Gringotts gold, to Avada Kedavra green. Harry and Marvolo admired the card while the goblin explained why it changed color.

"The card changes to the color of its owner's magic. Depending on the color, most of us here at Gringotts can recognize a wizard. For example, you are the only wizard with that shade of green."

Just then, they both heard a knock on the door. With an order of 'open' from Thorhorn, a smaller goblin entered, followed by a man Harry remember seeing from memories as Lucius Malfoy. The smaller goblin left with a bow, and silence descended on the room again, until Harry made eye contact with Lucius. There was a strangled gasp from the pureblood as he looked into the eyes of the Light's savior; eyes that were acid green, but with spots of the brightest crimson dispersed within them. Marvolo was cackling in his mind, because the shock of seeing Harry's eyes had made Lucius drop his Occlumency shields and they could see how Harry looked to the Malfoy Lord.

This cannot be Harry Potter. He is the Savior of the Light, the reason for the disappearance of my Lord. But there he is, looking like a miniature Dark Lord, sitting there, imperiously, wearing one of the very robes I have seen my Lord wear many times. Not to mention the words my Lord told me so very long ago that he would use to let me know he was behind something, a seemingly random request or order coming to me. Vindico Tenebrae, the words I had hoped to hear some day, but never thought I would.

Harry shook his head softly as the Malfoy Lord walked right up to Harry and fell to his knees, with one hand fisted over his heart and his head bowed. He was trembling, from joy, Harry realized, as Lucius Malfoy looked up with slightly misty eyes and gasped out a disbelieving,

"My Lord, you have returned. This is a great day, a great day indeed. How may I be of service?"

Marvolo shuddered in anticipation and came to the forefront of Harry's mind, which made the green and red eyes bleed to solid red. Lucius' eyes widened in disbelief and happiness, and he bowed his head again.

"Lucius, my slippery friend. As displeased as I am that all of my loyal followers and old friends failed to find me and return me to the world of the material, your position in the ministry will aide me greatly. This partially makes up for your lack of faithfulness."

Marvolo's voice had gone deeper, and there was a hissing quality to it that made all listening in the room shiver, one in excitement, one with slight fear, and the other with intrigue. Lucius' head snapped up and he looked into the eyes of the lord he thought gone, but prayed it wasn't so.

"My Lord, what can I do to make up for my solitary lapse in fealty?"

"Your task is to house my host, and our newest ally, my apprentice Harry Potter. Be the cover he and I need to accomplish our tasks in the next few years. And you will be back in my good graces, my old friend. You may rise."

Lucius nodded and elegantly rose to his feet, smiling softly down at the child he knew housed his master. He then turned to the goblin and signed the last paper declaring himself guardian of Harry Potter. Marvolo was smug when he retreated to the back of Harry's mind, and Harry was pleased he was happy. Hell, he was ecstatic that him and Marvolo wouldn't have to go back to the muggle's house ever again. Which was honestly a very bizarre thought. It had only been five years since Harry started living there, and he might only be six, but he had suffered there in ways no child should ever have to go through. He was in slight shock over the thought of never returning to that accursed place. Too bad though, he really was looking forward to torturing his 'family' again.

Although Harry was happy about all that, his eyes caused concern to flare up in his stomach. He didn't know what they would do when they got to Hogwarts. Granted, it was nearly five years away and hopefully by then Marvolo would have his own body back. But that didn't mean Harry wasn't tenuously worried about the red and green eyes he now sported. Shaking off these thoughts, Harry focused on the goblin and Lucius, and stood with a small stretch. Smirking, Harry said his farewell to Thorhorn.

"It's been a pleasure doing business with you, Thorhorn. May your gold always flow, and your dealings be profitable."

Thorhorn bowed and repeated this statement, and showed them out. Harry and Marvolo activated part of the glamour once again; he couldn't buy clothes to fit his smaller frame if he was in a larger body after all. With only a small start from Lucius, the three of them were headed out the door of the bank and onto the wizarding Alley. Harry was excited, he was going to be able to purchase a fitting wardrobe for the first time in his life, and no one was there to stop him from getting anything else that caught his fancy.

Smirking lightly, Harry led Lucius in the direction of the first shop on the left, at the mouth of Knockturn Alley: Twilfit and Tattings. The robe shop. When Harry heard a dignified groan come from the Malfoy Lord, he couldn't help but let out a soft, yet cruel, laugh. Torture of all kinds absolutely enthralled him, and mental torture was just as fun. Dragging an Inner Circle Death Eater into a robe shop, and various other shops throughout the day, was going to be glorious.

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**A/N: Began with sadness, ended with happiness. Chapter eight will hopefully be up in a few days. I already have it written, I just need to type it out. Oh, and the Lucius P.O.V isn't going to crop up anymore. It was just a one time thing. Although, throughout the story I will be showing other people's points of view's, or thoughts on important things. But I will always make it obvious so no one is confused. This is where things diverged the most from my original plot line, but getting out from Dumbledore's influence and away from the Dursley's was extremely important for Harry's development. Please review and tell me if I completely ruined the plot to you guys!**

**S.I.N.  
**


	8. Author's Notation

**Hello people! **

**Chapter eight is on it's way in a few day! This is just to tell you the entire story has been rewritten! I'm not trying to insult anyone's intelligence, but if you didn't notice, this is for you! **

**It took me forever to get settled enough to update again, and when I did, it was only one chapter! I'm upset that I wasn't able to update more.. But no worries, I will NOT take that long ever again. **

**Tuesday is my birthday, and that is when I hope to have chapter eight ready for updating and when it's done, I will be replacing this note with the chapter. I hope you guys like this version of the story, and if not, send me all the Howlers you want! Er, I meant flames :) **

**Any who, if any of you have suggestions of anything you wish to see, or see the story lacking, I'd be glad to hear it! Thanks for being so patient, and reading my story!**

_Love,_

**S.I.N.**


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